Pressure regulator assembly for use with a slip joint in a driveshaft assembly
US7052398B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 21, 2002 |
| Grant date | May 30, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 3, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16D2300/06
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A slip joint includes a structure that prevents a negative pressure situation from occurring within a sealed lubricant chamber during operation thereof. The slip joint includes a male splined member having a plurality of external splines formed thereon that cooperate with a plurality of internal splines formed on a female splined member. The cooperating splines are disposed within a lubricant chamber defined at one end by a seal assembly and at the other end by a pressure regulator assembly. The pressure regulator assembly includes a housing having an open end that faces toward the lubricant chamber. A pressure plate is disposed within the housing of the pressure regulator assembly and is supported for sliding movement relative thereto. A spring urges the pressure plate toward the open end of the housing and the lubricant chamber. As a result, the pressure plate maintains a positive pressure situation within the lubricant chamber, thereby deterring contaminants from passing through the seal assembly into the region of the cooperating splines.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.